


Land Before Time Retold

by EliseLowing



Category: The Land Before Time (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Courage, Dinosaurs, Family, Forgiveness, Friendship, Gen, Humans, Hurt/Comfort, Time Stone, Trust, Wilderness Survival, perseverance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-27 14:18:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15687108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EliseLowing/pseuds/EliseLowing
Summary: What would've happened if a human met Littlefoot and the rest of the Gang? What if this human was part of the group from the start?Aylene Carter, a fourteen-year-old girl from the world of humans, receives a stone from her grandmother that appears to be ordinary. However, its true power sets her on an adventure of a lifetime, and she is transported to another world. There, she meets Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike. Together, they will have to brave the wilderness to reach the lush, legendary Great Valley.But in this amazing and fascinating world, danger looms in many forms, from a monstrous and revenge-driven Tyrannosaurus Rex, to an ever-changing wilderness that is scarce of food. This motley gang will have to put aside their differences if they are to have a chance of reaching the Great Valley.An alternate spin on the widely beloved movie series, "Land Before Time Retold" is a story of adventure, friendship, family, courage, trust, understanding, perseverance, and forgiveness. Join the Gang and their newcomer on this amazing quest.





	1. Two Worlds

**Author's Note:**

> We all know the beloved stories of the Land Before Time. How five young dinosaurs forged a friendship and braved the wilderness back to the ones they love. After that, they had many other adventures, made new friends, and learned life lessons.
> 
> But what if someone from our world managed to travel to theirs? How would a human interact in this world? And how would this story unfold if this human was with the Gang since day one? As a fan of the series, I decided to see how the outcome of the story would be if that really did happen.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Land Before Time Series; I am merely exploring an alternate story.

**Two Worlds**

 

The rumble of the car on the gravel road jostled Aylene a little as she read her dinosaur guidebook. She was on a page that talked about a long-necked dinosaur that was called an Apatosaurus. For the longest time she thought it was called a Brontosaurus. It was only now that she learned that “Brontosaurus” was actually a synonym for Apatosaurus, not its actual scientific term.

Then, she felt a rather harsh nudge on her shoulder. The fourteen-year-old turned in annoyance. Her older brother was sitting just one seat over from her. He had rather smug expression on his face. 

“What is it, Derek?” she said.

“Just wondering how your book was coming,” he replied impishly.

“Fine, why?”

“Being the “Dino Nerd” you are, I was just curious.”

Aylene scowled and hit her older brother and slapped his shoulder, causing him to flinch a bit.

“Hey, no fighting back there you two!” said their father sternly from the driver’s seat.

“Derek started it!” Aylene argued.

“Just get along until we get to your grandparents’ house, okay?” their mother ordered. “It’s not that long now.” 

Aylene glared at her brother before going back to her book. She tried to continue reading, but the enjoyment of it was now gone. She closed the book and stared out the window with a sour expression.

It wasn’t just her brother who gave her grief either. Nearly all the bullies at her school called her the “Dino Nerd” because she could spout out information on various species of dinosaurs on the spot. Sure, it may impress the teachers, but it did nothing for her when it came to impressing her peers. It just gave some of them a reason to tease and taunt her.

Why couldn’t she just be allowed to be herself without anyone making fun of her? So what if she had a fascination of dinosaurs? They were interesting creatures. What was so bad about liking them? It wasn’t like she was hurting anyone because of it.

Fortunately for Aylene, it was summer vacation. All she was hoping for was to spend a nice week at her grandparents’ house: practicing archery, learning how to play the ocarina, and just relax to her heart’s content.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a world very different from the world of humans, a world that was ruled by dinosaurs, a rainstorm struck the land.

Out of the darkness, an egg-stealer dinosaur crept silently in the reeds of a swamp near a resting herd of three long-necked dinosaurs.

In the nest near the tail of the youngest member were four eggs. Three of them were broken, leaving only one intact. It began to jiggle as the little creature inside of it struggled to break free.

The egg-stealer licked its chops with hungry anticipation. If the egg was about to hatch, that meant that he would have a fully developed hatching to feast on.

Leaping from its place, the egg-stealer quickly grabbed the egg and—

_WHUMP!_

The young female long-neck knocked the creature senseless with a mighty blow to the head. The egg flew out of the egg-stealer’s hands and fell down the skeletal remains of a bigmouth laying close by.

The egg continued to roll down the decayed spine of another dead dinosaur until it flew off into a river raging with violent rapids. It rode the waves before careening over the edge a small waterfall.

The egg fell among a group of other small dinosaurs, causing them to scatter in surprise. The rain quickly began to diminish into nothing more than a drizzle. Then, it stopped altogether.

Suddenly, the egg cracked open. A small tail appeared out of it. Then a leg kicked out from one side of the shell, followed immediately by the other leg kicking through on the opposite side. The rest of the shell immediately broke apart, revealing a healthy baby long-neck.

The infant rolled over onto his rump and took in a breath of the new air. He smiled innocently and squeaked as he took in his new surroundings.

“Here I am,” said a loving voice above him.

The hatchling looked up and saw three much larger long-necks towering over him. The one in the middle lowered its head and smiled at him.

Suddenly overwhelmed, the baby long-neck fell backwards and tried to scramble away. He didn’t get far before he felt a lick on his back. He curled up into a ball, hiding his face under his forepaws. When he felt another lick though, it wasn’t threatening at all.

It was loving.

The hatchling lifted his face and smiled again. He instinctively realized that this massive creature was his mother. More and more tender licks came as he turned and looked up at the female long-neck. He returned them all by giving her a small lick on the nose.

As he reached up to hug this his mother’s face, various other kinds of creatures came out of their hiding places to see the new life that had just hatched. The baby long-neck turned his head and saw the strange creatures. He felt overwhelmed by how many of them there were, and just how different they all looked.

The creatures all looked so peculiar. Some had strange flabs of skin coming from their arms, and very long pointed mouths. When they walked, they seem to waddle on two legs. Others crawled along the ground on all fours, and had two very big eyes, not to mention large mouths.

Frightened by the new faces, the little long-neck retreated to behind his mother’s leg.

“Oh, don’t be frightened,” the female long-neck gently coaxed. “Come out.”

The long-neck hatchling peeked out from behind his mother’s leg as the creatures began to crowd around. Some of them smiled at the little infant, as if feeling a sense of happiness as the new life nuzzled its mother’s foot.

The infant long-neck opened his mouth wide and yawned. As he looked at the creatures surrounding him, he jolted in surprise.

He retreated away from the group and stumbled over his own feet. Moving around on all fours still wasn’t easy for the hatchling just yet.

The female long-neck giggled and carefully grabbed her baby but the scruff, lifting him up into the air onto her back. He delightfully stomped around on his mother’s back before sliding down into the base of her neck.

“Now, you be careful, my Littlefoot,” she gently smiled.

Littlefoot yawned again as the two eldest long-necks gazed down at their new grandson.  The little hatchling looked up at his grandfather and squeaked in delight. The elder male nuzzled his daughter lovingly as her child nestled into the folds of her skin.

“Beautiful Littlefoot,” she whispered as the hatchling long-neck drifted off to sleep, safe in the love of his family.

* * *

_Back in the world of humans…_

About half an hour later, Aylene and her family reached her grandparents’ house. The elder couple was already waiting outside in the front yard. Their grandfather welcomed his grandchildren with firm but loving hugs, and their grandmother kissed them on the forehead.

“Well, Aylene, you look prettier every time I see you,” their grandmother smiled.

“Thanks, Grandma.” Aylene said, running fingers through her short brown hair.

“And look at you, Derek,” their grandfather grinned, “I see you put some more muscle on you.”

“Just been working out at the gym is all.” Derek answered with shrug.

“Great to see you, Mom, Dad.” Aylene’s mother said as she hugged her grandfather.

“Glad you could come and visit, Elinor.” Aylene’s grandfather said, hugging his daughter.

“And how have you been, Jonathan?” Aylene’s grandmother asked her father.

“I’ve been well, Elaine.” Jonathan replied, smiling at his in-law.

“Well, I expect your all tired from your journey,” Elaine said kindly, “but first, Richard and I would like to present you with your gifts.”

“Oh Mom, you didn’t have to get us anything.” Elinor replied, shaking her head slightly at the older woman.

“That’s what I said.” Richard laughed. “But your mother was insistent. And you know you there’s no changing her mind when she’s fixated on an idea.”

Elaine gave her husband a small playful grin before gesturing toward the front door of the house. “Please, this way.”

Elaine guided the family into house and into the living room. Once everyone had been seated, she passed out four individual gifts.

Aylene was given a small golden colored box with a green ribbon tied around it.  She carefully undid the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a dark green stone on a metal neck chain.

Aylene gave a huge smile. She picked up the necklace and held it in her hand for a while. It was such a simple thing, but she loved it.

“Thanks, Grandma! Grandpa!” she slipped the necklace around her neck.

“Glad you like it, Aylene.” Richard answered, nodding.

Aylene looked up and saw what the rest of her family had received.

Her mother was given a set of small golden earrings. Her father had received a watch and chain. Derek got a new hunting knife.

“Thank you for the gifts.” Elinor gratefully nodded.

“You’re welcome, my dear.” Elaine answered, smiling.

After the gift exchange, Aylene and her family took their suitcases out of their car, and brought them up to their rooms.

Aylene’s room was a bluish beige color with a twin bed against the wall on the opposite side. In one corner was a dresser with a mirror on it ,and there were two sliding doors on the far side of the room that led into the closet.

The girl took a moment to look around the room before lugging the heavy suitcase inside it.

When Aylene finally got the suitcase shoved into a small nook of the room, she flopped down on the bed, letting out a huge sigh and staring up at the ceiling.

After a long road trip, and with her brother teasing her most of the time, it was nice to finally have some space to herself. She absentmindedly touched the stone around her neck and stroked it with her thumb.

It had a very smooth texture, yet it wasn’t completely flat. It had a few ridges that were pretty subtle, but she could defiantly see small shapes when she tilted it in the light. Its primary color was dark olive green, but it also had small black specks coating it. 

“I’m glad you like your present.”

Aylene lifted her head saw her grandmother standing in the doorway.

“Yeah,” Aylene said. “Thanks again, Grandma.”

“You know, that necklace was mine when I was your age.” Elaine said.

“Really?” Aylene’s eyes widened a bit in surprise.

“Yes,” her grandmother nodded, “it was…my treasure for a long time but I felt…let’s just say that it may benefit you in some way.”

Aylene sat up and stared at her grandmother with subtle curiosity.

“Dinner will be served soon.” Elaine said, immediately turning away. “I’m making tilapia with fried rice.”

Before Aylene could ask anything, Elaine left to go back downstairs.

Aylene was left pondering over the question of what her grandmother could’ve meant by the stone “benefiting” her in some way. Speaking ambiguously wasn’t exactly uncommon for Elaine to do, but this particular phrase stood out in Aylene’s mind for some reason.


	2. One Wish

**One Wish**

_TWANG!_

_ZIP!_

_THUNK!_

“Bull’s Eye!”

Aylene clenched her fist with success and laughed. Her arrow hit the target perfectly.

Her grandfather clapped his hands at her display of precision.

“Well done, Aylene. You’ve certainly become a skilled archer.”

“Well, I did learn from the best.” Aylene answered, grinning.

“That you did.” Richard replied, rather smugly.

Aylene giggled and shook her head as she readied another arrow.

It had been five days since she and her family arrived at her grandparents’ house and already they had done a lot.

Aylene’s grandmother showed her how to play another song on her ocarina, Derek had gone fishing with their grandfather one morning, and the family took a day to go horseback riding at a nearby ranch.

Today, they were planning to go swimming at a lake. Aylene was already dressed in her favorite swimsuit: a lime green two-piece. She also wore black gym shorts and dark blue hiking sandals.

To release her anticipation, Aylene decided to get in a little more archery practice.

Archery was Aylene’s favorite activity. She just loved the feeling of pulling back an arrow, narrowing her vision on her target, and then releasing it all in a single shot. The sound of the arrow zipping through the air at such high speed filled her with confidence and energy.

Aylene drew the string of her bow all the way back to her cheek, focused hard on the target, and—

“Aylene!” Elinor suddenly called from the house. “We’ll be going to the lake soon! You better get ready!”

“Okay, Mom!”

Aylene put the arrow back in her quiver, and she and her grandfather walked back to the house.

“You can practice more tomorrow,” Richard said as they reached the sliding doors that lead into the kitchen. “You deserve a break anyway.”

“Thanks, Grandpa.” Aylene smiled.

As soon as she was inside, Aylene grabbed two large bottles of water from the fridge and headed to the stairs towards her bedroom. Once she was there, she put the bottles in her gym bag along with some granola bars, her goggles, nose plugs, sunscreen, and a towel.

As she slung the straps of the bag into the crook of her left arm, she looked over on her nightstand and saw the necklace her grandmother had given her, as well as two hair elastic bands. There was also a picture she had put there when she first unpacked the other day.

She put the elastic bands on her right wrists, and the stone around her neck.

“I’ll take it off when I go swimming of course.” she said to herself, stroking the charm between her fingers.

However, her smile turned into a frown when she looked at the picture.

It was a picture of her with her best friend when they were young children.

“Rebecca,” she whispered sadly.

Aylene met Rebecca in kindergarten one day during lunch. After a while of getting to know each other, they had become like sisters. They understood each other and were fine with the other’s quirks.

However, last year, Rebecca’s family moved out of town because of her father’s job. 

Now, Aylene just found herself alone at school most of the time. The only times she was in a group was for school projects. At lunch, she would just sit at any table and listen to other girls talk about things like nail polish, hairstyles, boys, and other things Aylene just found to be trivial and uninteresting. Once in a while, they would talk about something that got her a little interested, but those times were very rare.

Aylene figured that she either happened to sit with the wrong group of people, or that she just didn’t fit in anymore.

“Not that I’ve ever fit in to begin with,” she mumbled sadly to herself.

* * *

 

Five year had passed in the world of the dinosaurs since Littlefoot had hatched. Even now, his family still wandered through in the wilderness. Only on rare occasions did the long-necks find leaves to eat. But as they traveled on, those occurrences became less and less. Eventually, the little food source in the area they could eat were dried sticks.

“Mother,” Littlefoot grimaced, trying to bite through the tough branches, “is this all there is to eat?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, my dear.” Littlefoot’s mother sighed heavily. “The land has been changing. That is why we must walk as far as we can each day until we reach the Great Valley.”

The long-neck adolescent winced as he continued to crunch through the sticks. As much as it hurt his teeth, he knew that a little food was better than nothing.

“Littlefoot! Quickly, come here!”

Littlefoot looked up when his mother called for him. He ran over to where she had stopped and noticed that she was looking high up into the branches of a tree.

“Look, up there,” she directed.

Littlefoot raised his head up in the direction she was motioning to. He winced as the light from the Bright Circle blinded him for a moment. When his vision cleared, he could see what his mother was staring at.

Cradled in the branches, and highlighted by the Bright Circle’s rays, was a green leaf with five points.

“A treestar,” the female long-neck said to her son. “It is very special.”

Littlefoot’s mother plucked the treestar from the branches. As she lowered it down towards her son, all the dew the leaf had collected gathered together in the center, forming a small pool.

Littlefoot laughed in delight as his mother dropped the leaf down in front of him.

“A treestar,” he whispered, fascinated by the green vegetation.

It was the first time he had seen such a vibrant color of green. He didn’t even think a color like that existed.

“It’ll help you grow strong.” Littlefoot’s mother explained. “Where we are going, there are so many of these leaves.”

He flipped over onto his back and kicked up in the air with his feet. It gently lighted back down on top of him, covering his face. It had a such a delicious scent that he couldn’t help but lick it. Even though it was just a quick taste, it was just as delectable as its smell.

The two elder long-necks chuckled at the sight of their grandson.

Having no more business in the area, the small family began to walk on again. Littlefoot carried his mother’s gift on his back as they continued on their journey.

“The Great Valley is full of green food like this.” Littlefoot’s mother continued. “More than you could ever eat. And more fresh, cool water than you could ever drink. It is a wonderful, beautiful place where we can live happily with many more of our own kind.”

Littlefoot was memorized by the tale.

“Gee, when will we get there?” he asked eagerly.

“The Bright Circle must pass over us many times,” the female long-neck explained, “and we must follow it each day to where it touches the ground.”

As Littlefoot listened to his mother’s story of this magnificent place, a question came to his mind.

“Have you ever seen the Great Valley?”

His mother stopped for a moment. She slowly turned her head toward her son and answered truthfully,

“No.”

“Then how do you know it’s really there?” Littlefoot said, curious.

The older long-neck simply smiled.

“Some things you see with your eyes,” she replied, “others you see with your heart.”

Littlefoot sighed heavily and lowered his head.

“I’m not sure I understand, mother,” he admitted.

Littlefoot’s mother smiled and lovingly nuzzled him.

“You will, my son,” she whispered. “You will.”

Littlefoot’s mother turned away and began to walk on.

It was then that Littlefoot heard the sound of laughter from nearby. He blinked and turned in the direction it came from. The treestar slipped off his back as he walked among a bushel of dry grass and stuck his head out.

“Littlefoot,” his mother called, “don’t you wander too far.” 

But Littlefoot was hardly paying attention his mother. His focus on a light orange colored female three-horn adolescent playing with someone that Littlefoot could only assume was her father.

Littlefoot had seen other dinosaurs other than those that looked like him and his family over the course of his life. However, this was the first time he saw one at a close distance. Something about them fascinated him. They had short necks that were covered by huge rims attached to their heads, and three horns protruding out of their faces. Two on their foreheads, and one on their snouts.

Except for the younger one, who only had a short, stubby horn on her nose.

The three-horn adolescent laughed in delight as she ran forward and rammed her head against her father’s large snout. However, her attention quickly shifted when she heard a loud buzzing noise.

The three-horn spotted a large blue bug nearby. Purely out of instinct, she charged at it, screeching in a kind of battle cry.

The bug flew off and landed on a small rock.

The three-horn rammed into the rock, causing it to break. The bug fluttered onto another rock and the three-horn ran toward it again at full speed. The bug flew off and landed on another rock. The three-horn chased after it again, only to crash against the stone and destroy it.

Once again, the bug flew away and settled on another rock. The three-horn pursued it, intent on catching it.

This rock proved to be stronger than the others. She crashed right into it with her head, doing very little damage. She winced at the small headache rattling her brain. She shook her head to make it stop.

“Hey!”  Littlefoot called out to her.

The three-horn didn’t seem to notice him. She was too preoccupied with getting ready to ambush the bug.

Seeing her advancing, the bug sprayed a purple substance in her face and then flew away, leaving the three-horn surprised and dazed.

Littlefoot couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing at the scene before him.

The three-horn’s look of stunned surprise quickly turned to anger when she heard the sound of laughter. She turned her head sharply in the direction it was coming from and saw the long-neck adolescent in the tall grass.

“What are you laughing at?!” she snapped indignantly.

Littlefoot, realizing he had been caught, became nervous when he saw the three-horn’s scowl directed at him. However, as she was getting ready to charge at him, her expression changed to a rather playfully one with a hint of challenge in it.

Littlefoot responded by leaping out of the bushes and getting ready to charge himself.

The three-horn gave a small, squeaky roar, and the two ran at each other.

But before they collided, the adult three-horn the adolescent was playing with earlier saw the situation, and concerned filled his eyes. He then leapt into action and bounded towards the two young ones. In less than three seconds, he stopped right between Littlefoot and the adolescent three-horn. The two young dinosaurs skid to a halt.

Littlefoot, intimidated by the larger three-horn, began to slowly back away. The elder was scowling down at him, and a deep growl could be heard from his throat. That was definitely a warning for Littlefoot to back off.

“Littlefoot!” the long-neck’s mother called out from nearby.

“Come, Cera,” the male three-horn said sternly to his daughter. “Three-horns never play with long-necks.”

Cera responded by sticking out her tongue and spitting at Littlefoot. Her father growled again, a little more viciously, and Littlefoot quickly backed away. This dinosaur was not joking around.

Cera, suddenly feeling bold, ran out from behind her father’s leg and up to Littlefoot. She was almost directly in his face.

“Three-horn’s never play with long-necks!” she repeated snobbishly.

Her father then grabbed her by the tail and pulled her away. At the same time, Littlefoot’s mother arrived and did the same with her son. The two protective adults regarded each other for a short moment, as if silently warning the other not to do anything rash.

Neither did, however, and the tense moment was broken as they both turned away from each other.

“Long-neck?” Littlefoot narrowed his eyes.

This was the first time Littlefoot had ever been called that. Naturally, it puzzled him.

“Mother, what’s a long-neck?” he asked.

“Why, that’s what we are, dear.” his mother answered as her son climbed onto her head.

“Oh.” Littlefoot answered rather dryly. He slipped the treestar his mother had retrieved for him back over onto his back. “But why can’t I play with that three-horn? We were having fun.”

“Well, we all keep to our own kind,” the female long-neck explained casually. “The three-horns, the spike-tails, the swimmers, the flyers; we never do anything together.”

“Why?”

“Well, because we’re different, it’s always been that way.”

“Well, why?”

The adolescent long-neck wanted to know reason why different herds didn’t do anything together. For some reason, this separation between different dinosaurs didn’t sound right to him. He didn’t know how to explain it, it just felt wrong.

“Oh, don’t worry so much.” his mother smiled reassuringly. “When we reach the Great Valley, there will be many, many long-necks for you to play with.”

Littlefoot sighed again. He wished that they were there now, but there was one other thing he wished for more than anything. Something that playing with the three-horn reminded him of.

“Littlefoot?” His mother asked when she noticed his sudden mood change.

“Well,” Littlefoot said, “It’s just…”

* * *

 

From the world of humans, Aylene sighed in downhearted discouragement and said,

“Gee…”

* * *

 

At that time, in two separate worlds, two different creatures made the same wish. A wish that was genuine and true.

* * *

 

**_ “I wish I had a friend.” _ **

* * *

 

As soon as she said that, the stone around Aylene’s neck began to glow brightly.

Her gaze snapped down when she noticed the brilliance. But before she could even shriek, there was a blinding flash of light, and her whole world vanished.

* * *

 

“Don’t worry, Littlefoot,” his mother said, “you’ll make many new friends when we get to the Great Valley.”

“Still,” Littlefoot shrugged, “I just…”

Suddenly, an unexpected golden emerald light flashed before the herd of long-necks. It was so bright that it lit up the entire area, causing the herd to turn their heads away to shield their eyes. Other dinosaurs and creatures that were close by saw the light, and looked on in both wonder and fear. Some became too afraid to move, while others ran away as fast as they could.

As the light slowly began to fade, Littlefoot peeked over and could just barely see there was a shape inside it.

When the light fully disappeared, the herd stared in surprise and wonder.

Laying on unconscious on the ground before them, was the strangest creature they had ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the story really begins. The human world and dinosaur world have overlapped. All because of a single wish.
> 
> The adventure is about to begin.


	3. World's Collide

**Worlds Collide**

 

Littlefoot gasped in bewildered surprise.

“Mother, what is it!?”

“I don’t know, Littlefoot,” the female long-neck replied. She was just as shocked as her son was.

Littlefoot slipped off his mother’s head as she bent down to get a closer look at the strange creature. He had never seen anything like it in his life.

Its skin appeared to be in several different colors, with some parts of it being baggy. It also looked like it had very thin brown reeds attached to its head that shined in the sunlight. Its arms were ridiculously long, and it had five dull claw-like things on each hand. In one hand there was a curved stick with a thin vine tying it together.

Its legs were long, too, and it had the oddest-looking feet Littlefoot had ever seen. On its back seemed to be a blue bulgy thing, and around its waist was something filled with what looked like sticks with weird stuff attacked to the ends.

“Is it alive?” Littlefoot asked.

Littlefoot’s mother sniffed the creature. It had a very odd scent about it. It was defiantly something she had never smelled before.

However, she could see the creature was still breathing. It was still alive. She cautiously nudged it with the tip of her snout.

A small glint caught Littlefoot’s attention. He saw that there was a green stone around the creature’s neck. He blinked. It looked like it glowing.

Suddenly, the creature groaned and winced.

* * *

Aylene, dazed and disoriented, felt something nudge her shoulder. At the same time, she heard a voice that sounded like a young boy’s.

 “Hey, are you okay?”

“I…I think so,” she replied.

“Mother! It can talk!”

There was murmur of astonished voices.

Extremely confused, Aylene slowly raised herself up and struggled to open her eyes. It was so bright that she had to strain to bring her world into focus. She could just barely make out a brown shape in front of her. She shook her head slightly and her vision became clear.

What she saw made her eyes widen and her jaw drop.

 

Standing in front of her was a small brown Apatosaurus! His reddish-brown eyes locked right onto hers!

What came next was something Aylene did not expect, even in a dream. It was so shocking that she just about jumped out of her skin.

“You sure you’re okay?” the dinosaur asked, in that same little boy voice that had spoken to her.

* * *

 

 

“AAUUGGHH!!!!”

Littlefoot jumped back in alarm as the creature screamed and scrambled away from him. Her bright blue eyes were wide with near-terror, and Littlefoot was sure that he saw her face turn pale.

“D-D-D-Dinosaur!” the creature stuttered in absolute panic, pointing one of her dull claws at him. “D-D-Dinosaur’s TALKING!”

“I-It’s okay!” Littlefoot quickly said, trying to be reassuring. “We won’t hurt you!”

Littlefoot’s mother brought her head around to push him back.

* * *

 

Aylene fixed her attention on the large Apatosaurus. It didn’t take her long to notice that there were two more Apatosauruses approaching.

Aylene swallowed hard. Her pulse pounded in her ears, she shivered uncontrollably, and she was on the verge of fainting.

Where did these dinosaurs come from?

These creatures were giants, and she felt like a shrimp compared to them.

She then looked around and saw she was no longer in her room. A cold wave rushed through her muscles.

Where did her room go? Where was she? How did she end up here? Did she travel through time? How could that be?!

Just what was going on?!

All of these questions raced through her mind at breakneck speed, making Aylene dizzy and numb.

The long-necked dinosaur that had pushed the younger one away from Aylene brought her face close to the human girl. Aylene coiled back.

“Who are you?” the female Apatosaurus asked, her voice sounding like a young woman’s.

“Uh…I...um…I’m…” Aylene stumbled for words, too shocked to say any.

“It’s alright,” the Apatosaurus said gently. “There’s no need to be frightened.”

Aylene took several deep breathes before slowly getting to her feet, gripping her bow in both hands. She stared at the large and powerful beast before her, unable to speak.

Then, Aylene noticed something about the dinosaur’s eyes. They seemed to be almost…human-like. Wonder merged with Aylene’s fear as she looked at the mighty animals before her. She had always wanted to see dinosaurs ever since she was a little kid, but she thought it would never come true.

But here they were, standing right in front of her, as real as she was.

Aylene didn’t know whether to run away or not anymore.

“What’s your name?” the female long-neck asked calmly.

“A-Aylene,” Aylene answered shakily. “My name’s Aylene.”

“That’s a pretty name,” the long-neck replied. “But I must ask, what are you?  Are you some kind of swimmer?”

Aylene shook her head and replied, “No. I…I’m a human.”

The moment she said that, the faces on the three large Apatosaurus’s changed to surprised.

“Did you say you were a human?” one said in a voice that sounded like a wise, old man as he lowered his head to Aylene’s level.

“Y-Yes,” she answered, taking a step back.

“Well, as I live and breathe!” the second elder one with a voice of a wise, old woman said with astonishment. “A real human!”

Aylene blinked. Why were these sauropods were so interested in the fact that she was a human?

“I thought those stories of humans were just myths!” the one closest to Aylene said as she looked at the two elders.

Aylene was dumbfounded. How would an ancient creature know what a human was? If she had indeed traveled back in time, her species would’ve come after the dinosaurs. So how did they did they even know about humans?

Littlefoot, although confused as to what the grown-ups were talking about, was more focused on Aylene. She was stranger from anything he had ever seen before. He had so many questions about her.

Where did she come from?  How did she get here? And why did she appear out of that light?

More to the point, why did she look so agitated?

“Hey!” Aylene suddenly yelled.

The three Apatosauruses turned to look back at the human girl. Aylene took a deep breath to regain control of herself.

“I’m sorry, I’m really confused here,” she said. “First of all, how do you know what humans are?  Secondly, where am I?”

“Well, at the moment, we’re in the middle of nowhere,” Littlefoot said. “But we’re traveling to the Great Valley.”

Aylene looked at the little long-neck as he slowly walked up to her. Now that he was directly in front of her, she could see that he was about eye-level with her.

“You want to come along with us?” he asked eagerly.

“I…I don’t know.” Aylene answered unsteadily. “I should really find a way back home. My family will be worried about me.”

“Please come with us!” Littlefoot pleaded. “It’ll be fun!”

“Well…”

“Mother, can she come with us?” he said, turning to his mother.

Littlefoot’s mother looked at Aylene for a moment. She knew perfectly well that different herds never did anything together. However, this human didn’t have a herd. She was all alone.

It just didn’t feel right to leave this lost human all alone like this.

“I suppose she can,” she said. “But only if you want to, Aylene.”

Aylene thought for a moment. She knew she had to find a way home. There was no question about that. But she didn’t even know how she ended up here in the first place. She also had no idea what was out there. She immediately realized that going off on her own was the most foolish thing she could do. The last thing she wanted was to run into a predator in a world like this.

Besides, this herd of sauropods at least knew where they were going. Aylene didn’t. She would just be wondering aimlessly if she didn’t stay with them.

“I guess I could tag along for a while.” she replied softly.

“Alright!” Littlefoot exclaimed happily. “By the way, my name’s Littlefoot.”

Aylene couldn’t help but smile at Littlefoot’s enthusiastic nature.

“Nice to meet you, Littlefoot,” she said, nodding.

With that, the small group set out on their journey.

“Hey, what’s with that stick in your hand?” Littlefoot asked Aylene.

“You mean this?” she asked, showing him her bow.

“Yeah, what’s it for?”

Aylene grinned with confidence. She couldn’t pass up the opportunity to show off her archery skills to a dinosaur.

“Watch and learn.”

Aylene took an arrow out of her quiver. She stung the bow, aimed at a tree about ten yards away, and released the arrow.

It zipped quickly through the air like a missile. In less than a second, hit the trunk of the tree.

“Wow!” Littlefoot gasped, amazed by the display.

“Amazing!” one of the elder long-neck’s exclaimed.

As they passed the tree, Aylene retrieved the arrow and stuck it back in her quiver.

“So that’s like a stick launcher?” Littlefoot asked excitedly.

“It’s called archery,” Aylene explained. “This is called a bow, and these are my arrows. I’ve been practicing archery ever since I was a little girl. In fact, my grandpa gave this bow to me as a birthday present. He made it himself.”

“Really?”

As the herd moved towards the setting sun, Littlefoot practically bombarded Aylene with questions. She had to explain to him that the brown “reeds” on her head was her hair, why she had blue bag on her back, that her “several skin colors” were actually clothes, and that her skin color was really a peachy beige.

After about three hours, Aylene found herself struggling to keep up with the rest the herd. By now, she was practically gasping for air. While Aylene had always been an active person, she had never walked so far in her life, especially in such intense heat. She just didn’t have the physical endurance that these dinosaurs had. On top of that, she was hungry, thirsty, and sweaty.

She put her bow over her shoulder, but the weight of her bag and quiver were starting to get heavy. Soon, she wasn’t really walking anymore, but merely struggling to just drag her feet.

Littlefoot noticed her slowing down and ran back to her.

“You okay, Aylene?” he asked, concerned.

“Yeah, I’m just tired,” Aylene panted. “Sorry, but I just don’t have your stamina.”

Littlefoot then turned his side towards her.

“You can ride on my back,” he offered with a friendly smile.

Aylene’s eyes widened, darting back and forth from Littlefoot’s face to his back.

“What about your leaf?” she pointed to the tree-star.

Littlefoot looked at it. He immediately got the notion that Aylene didn’t want to ruin it by sitting on it. He grabbed it with his mouth, making his back free for Aylene to ride on.

With some effort, the human girl managed to climb onto the dinosaur.

She smiled as excitement struck her like lightning. She was actually on the back of a sauropod dinosaur.

She was REALLY riding a dinosaur! Something she never even dreamed of doing!

This was more than she could’ve ever wished for!

As thrilling as that was, however, Aylene quickly realized that riding on the sauropod was more difficult than she had imagined. Especially since she was riding bareback. It took her a while to stay balanced as he walked along. Once or twice, she nearly slipped off.

Eventually, even if it wasn’t perfect, she managed to find a way to stay somewhat stable.

“Is everything okay?” the young female long-neck asked when she noticed their struggle.

“We’re fine, mother,” Littlefoot said. “Aylene’s just tired.”

“Well, the Bright Circle is setting anyway,” the older female stated. “We should probably rest for the night.”

“Bright Circle?” Aylene asked.

“You know, that glowing circle in the sky,” Littlefoot motioned with his head toward the bright orb.

“Oh, you mean the sun.” Aylene said.

The herd turned and looked at Aylene with confusion.

“What?” she shrunk a bit, nervously.

“You call the Bright Circle something else?” Littlefoot asked.

“I…guess so,” Aylene responded.

“Interesting,” Grandpa Longneck said. “Well, seeing as we are settling down, why don’t you tell us your story, Aylene.”

Aylene smiled at the idea.

“Okay,” she nodded, “but first, let’s get something to eat, because I’m hungry.”

* * *

 

Several miles behind the herd, a dinosaur feared by leaf eaters and biters alike, sniffed the air. His blood-red eyes glinted with an eagerness for hunting. Eventually, he caught the scent of four long-necks. Three of them were grown-ups, and one was a child.

He slowly opened his mouth, letting the saliva from his teeth drip onto the ground. Long-neck flesh was his favorite meat, and a herd of four was certainly no match for him.

He would feast on their flesh tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Littlefoot and Aylene's paths have now crossed. Aylene has gotten a wish of a lifetime. However, a deadly force is quickly apporaching.


	4. Sharptooth Attack

**Sharptooth Attack**

 

A large, silvery moon slowly began to grow brighter in the sky as the herd of long-necks and their human newcomer settled down to rest.

After she set her stuff down, Aylene gathered some sticks, put some stones around in a circle formation, arranged the sticks in a unique fashion, and then took two other stones and used them to spark a flame. 

That single spark soon grew into a small fire that was contained within the small group of stones.

Littlefoot was amazed by the human’s ability to control fire. He had always seen fire as something wild and untamable. But she handled it with no problem.

While the Apatosauruses found other sticks and dried reeds to eat, Aylene rummaged through her gym bag. She pulled out a granola bar and a bottle of water. As they ate, Aylene told the long-necks her story of where she came from. More than once, she had to pause and explain to them what certain things were; such as a house, a car, and other things that would be foreign to them.

She ended her tale with the day she and her family were getting ready to go to the lake.

“The last thing I remember is a flash of light. Then I woke up and found you guys. And that’s pretty much it.”

“That’s an awesome story!” Littlefoot exclaimed.

Aylene smiled at the compliment and brushed some hair behind her ear. She then turned to the three older sauropods.

“Now I have a question for you,” she said. “How is it you know what humans are?”

The elder male Apatosaurus, who was called Grandpa Longneck, cleared his throat.

“Well, it has been told in stories that dinosaurs have encountered a curious species that called themselves humans,” he explained. “It is said that they come from another world, much like you have. Some of them also say that humans arrive in this world in a time of need.”

Aylene leaned forward and listened more intently as Grandpa Longneck continued.

“From what I’ve been told, humans travel from another world with the power of something they call a Time Stone.”

Aylene gasped and grabbed her necklace.

She remembered her the stone around her neck lit up just before that flash of light. She held up her pendent to the long-necks.

“You mean something like this?” she asked.

Grandpa Longneck lowered his head to her level and examined it.

“Possibly,” he said. “The legends are pretty vague on what these Time Stones looked like. But if you have it and you’re here right now, then I wouldn’t be surprised if it is one of those stones.”

“Wow,” Aylene whispered to herself. “So…did I travel back in time? How is that even possible?”

As soon as she thought this, she remembered something her grandmother said to her the day she got the Stone.

_“Let’s just say that it may benefit you in some way.”_

Did her grandmother know about the Stone’s power? She must’ve known. Why else would she say that?

But why did she give it to Aylene?

More to the point, why didn’t she tell her about its power?

Aylene shook her head in confusion. Nothing made sense anymore.

Beside her, Littlefoot gave a big yawn. Aylene saw him and yawned as well. It was only now she realized just how tired she was.

“Well, I think that’s enough stories for tonight,” Littlefoot’s grandmother said gently. “We should get some rest. We leave when the Bright Circle rises into the sky.”

Aylene reached for her gym bag and threw her granola bar wrapper back into it. As she put her water bottle away, something caught her eye. Curious, she reached in a pulled it out. It was a black leather case that was a little bigger than her hand.

Looking rather surprised, she opened the case and pulled out a plastic, green twelve-hole ocarina.

“Now how’d this get in there?” she mumbled, curious.

“What’s that, Aylene?” Littlefoot asked, looking at the shiny object in her hands.

“This is an ocarina,” Aylene replied. “It’s what we call a musical instrument.”

While Littlefoot was still confused as to what she meant by “musical instrument”, but he was too fascinated by the foreign object to think much of it. He had never seen anything like it before. He leaned closer to it, trying to soak up all the details he could see.

Aylene noticed his interest, and an idea came to her.

“You want me to play a song?”

“Sure!” he replied happily.

Aylene brought the mouthpiece to her lips, took a deep breath, and began to play a melody.

The instrument produced a high, but very rich tone. The song was like water flowing peacefully through the heart of a lush forest. The little long-neck watched the human in wonder as her fingers moved over the holes of ocarina with grace and precision. She swayed with the song, and a slight breezed gently ruffled her hair, giving an almost majestic feel to her performance. It was like she was using the song to control the world around her.

When the song was done, Aylene lowered the ocarina from her lips. She paused only for a moment before putting the instrument away.

“That was amazing!” Littlefoot complimented again.

“Thanks.” Aylene smiled softly.

That song had given Aylene a sense of comfort. It was one that her grandmother had taught her a long time ago. The simple act of playing it made her feel like her grandmother was nearby. It filled her with hope and courage, making her believe that she could take on this new world.

At the same time, it reminded her of how much she missed her family, and made her wonder if she would ever see them again.

The three elder Apatosauruses settled down as Littlefoot rested against a nearby boulder. Aylene leaned up against Littlefoot’s side and hugged her knees.

“I’m sure my family’s worried about me,” she whispered sadly.

“Don’t worry,” Littlefoot replied, “I’m sure we’ll find a way to get you back home. And who knows, maybe that Stone will send you back the same way it sent you here.”

The sentiment didn’t lift Aylene’s spirits too much, but it did manage to give her some hope again. She might have been stranded, but at least she wasn’t alone in this world.

Maybe this herd could really help her find her way home. Somehow.

That thought floated across her mind as she dozed off.

* * *

 

_Just before dawn…_

Littlefoot and Aylene were abruptly awoken by a huge frog.

It jumped from its spot to catch a dragonfly and landed right in front of them, causing them to gasp and jump with a startled surprise. As if to taunt them, it opened its enormous mouth to show off the remains of its meal.

Needless to say, it was very unpleasant to look at.

“Oh, that’s gross!” Aylene grimaced, her voice groggy from sleep.

Then, the frog hopped away.

“Hey, hopper, come back!” Littlefoot said as he ran after it.

“Littlefoot, wait!” Aylene quietly called out, trying not to wake the adults.

Realizing the Apatosaurus wasn’t paying attention, Aylene grabbed her things and ran after him, struggling to put her bag and quiver on. She managed to find Littlefoot by a cluster of rocks that lead into the center of a decaying tree.

“Littlefoot, wait up!” she called again.

Suddenly, voice came from inside the log. A harsh voice that was directed at Littlefoot.

“You again?! Go away!”

Aylene stopped dead in her tracks as a little Triceratops run up towards Littlefoot with an angry face. It wasn’t the fact the Triceratops was mad that made Aylene catch her breath and stare with wide eyes, it was something else entirely.

What had struck Aylene was the fact there was a Triceratops AND an Apatosaurus together in the SAME timeline. But how was that possible? According to her research, the Triceratops would have come AFTER the Apatosaurus. She was sure of that.

So what was a Triceratops doing in the same time frame?

Before Aylene could think any more on this, the Triceratops spoke again in a prideful voice.

“That’s MY hopper!”

The Triceratops flicked of her tail and raised her horn high in the air as she turned away from Littlefoot.

“I saw him first.” Littlefoot stated, showing annoyance.

“Well, he’s in MY pond,” the Triceratops rebuked as she slid down a small slope into rather mucky water that bubbled.

Littlefoot followed the Triceratops down the ledge, and Aylene followed Littlefoot. While the long-neck slipped and fell on top of the three-horn, the human girl carefully slid down so she would not fall into the water.

As the Triceratops turned to scowl at Littlefoot, she caught sight of Aylene.

“What are you supposed to be?” she asked rather rudely.

“I’m a human,” the girl calmly answered, shrinking back a bit. “My name’s Aylene. Who are you?”

“Name’s Cera.” the Triceratops answered with snobbish pride.

Littlefoot was about to say something when Cera saw the reflection of the hopper she was chasing earlier appear in a large bubble. She jumped on it, making it burst right under her feet. Pretty soon, more bubbles appeared with the images of frogs in them. Littlefoot decided to join in and began pouncing on them. Each time a bubble rose up, he and Cera would jump on them, making them pop and splatter muddy droplets.

“Hey, this is fun!” Cera admitted happily as she and Littlefoot continued with their little game. It was like she completely forgot that Littlefoot was a long-neck, and was just wrapped up in the enjoyment of the moment.

Aylene giggled as the two continued to play in the water. It was kind of cute to watch. It made her half-tempted to join in on the fun herself.

However, all of them were completely unaware of the danger that was approaching.

* * *

 

The monstrous dinosaur sniffed the air.

The scent of the long-neck runt was stronger. What’s more, it was now away from the rest of its herd. This was going to be easier than the hunter had thought.

As he got closer, the stalking dinosaur caught the two other scents. One was a little three-horn.  No big deal. Three-horns were satisfying for a meal, but this monster’s main intention remained on the long-neck.

However, the third scent was very peculiar. It wasn’t from any creature this dinosaur had hunted before. This made him rather curious, but only for a single second. His mind was strictly on the hunt, and nothing was going to detour him from that.

As he followed the scents, he saw three small creatures under a rotting tree. The long-neck he had been perusing, the three-horn that had joined him, and a strange, rather gangly creature.

Although his interest for this creature was growing, his hunger for the flesh of that long-neck runt was outpacing it. He felt a deep rumble in the pit of his stomach and slowly moved in on his prey.

* * *

 

The ground began to tremble under Aylene’s feet, making her gasp and stand up. All the muscles in her body were tense.

Something was coming, and it was big.

Littlefoot and Cera felt it, too. They searched frantically around find the source of the shakes.

Cera turned to the direction the tremors were coming from, and let out a scream of absolute terror.

“SHARPTOOTH!!!!”

Littlefoot turned, saw what Cera had seen, let out a scream of his own.

There was no mistaking dinosaur! The most feared dinosaur above any of its kind, the one that even biters feared the most, was heading straight towards them!

Aylene saw the dinosaur, too. She let out a terrified shriek, and her blood turned to ice in her veins.

A massive Tyrannosaurus Rex was just several yard in front of her! Even worse, this one had skin on it, was alive, and was closing in on her and the two young dinosaurs!

Littlefoot cried out for his mother as that monstrous behemoth broke through the tree and stared down at three of them. His eyes were blood red. They didn’t look humanlike at all. They were just red with only a single black pupil in each of them.

Those eyes, terrifying and dead, stared down at Littlefoot, Cera, and Aylene with malicious intention.

All three terrified children bolted out from under the tree and towards a grove of large thorns, hoping to seek better shelter. Only Aylene dared to look back and see the T-Rex pursuing them.

“Further in! Further in!” she urged, pushing the two young dinosaurs farther into the thorn bush.

In just a short time, they were at the middle of the bush. Crouching quietly and fearfully in the dark, they continued to feel the ground shake as Sharptooth stalked around the thorn bush. Whether he was trying to find a way in, or he was waiting for them to come out, Aylene couldn’t tell.

“Just stay calm,” she whispered in a shaky voice. “If we stay here, maybe he’ll go away.”

Aylene knew predators in her world would give up on a meal if they thought it was too much of a hassle to get. Hopefully, the same will be true for this one.

“Don’t count on it!” Cera said, shivering so badly that her voice came out in fragile whimper. “This is Sharptooth! My daddy told me once he chooses his prey, he won’t stop until he gets it!”

“It’s true!” Littlefoot quivered. Something in his voice made him sound more afraid than Cera.

“Oh, great!” Aylene shuddered, hoping that the two dinosaurs were wrong.

Suddenly, a shower of splinters and thorns came down on them. They all shot their heads up, and they saw a huge hole above them.

Sharptooth had made an opening in the bush! He was now crawling down through the gap, sniffing for his prey!

Littlefoot, Aylene and Cera fell to the ground, trying to flatten themselves against it. Sharptooth was now nearly on top of them. Only a long, thick branch blocked his snout from reaching them. Aylene trembled as she felt the hot, foul breathe of the monster nostrils shoot down on her. On each side of her, she felt Littlefoot and Cera shiver.

For brief moment, Sharptooth lifted his snout to get into a better position.

This was their chance.

“Go.” Littlefoot whispered, nudging Aylene and Cera.

The trio quickly and cautiously made their way to the other side of the bush. If they could just sneak away, they might have a chance to escape.

They soon came to a place where the path split in two. Littlefoot and Aylene headed for the path on the left.

But to their horror, Cera rebelled at the idea and took the one on the right!

“Cera, come back!” Aylene shouted as she ran after the Triceratops.

“Aylene, wait!” Littlefoot called as he raced after the human.

The situation quickly took a turn for the worst. Sharptooth rose up from his hole, and saw the trio run out of the bush.

The path brought them out into the open! They were completely exposed!

The moment Sharptooth saw Littlefoot, he dove for him. Aylene heard Littlefoot scream, but she was too afraid to look back. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her legs were shaking so bad that it was getting hard to run. But the adrenaline that raced franticly through her body made her flight instinct take control, giving her the speed she needed.

She sprinted into another thorn bush. She continued to run, even when she lost sight of Cera.

She heard Littlefoot scream from behind her again. Chilling fear shot through her when she also heard Sharptooth’s roars and snapping jaws.

Finally, she summoned the courage to look behind her. What she saw made her halt and freeze in terror.

Littlefoot was tangled up in thorns, and Sharptooth was closing in on him!

“LITTLEFOOT!”

Aylene turned around raced back toward her friend.

“NO, AYLENE!” Littlefoot shouted when he saw her. “SAVE YOURSELF!”

But Aylene didn’t turn back. Her body moved on its own. The sight of Sharptooth snapping and growling made her mind scream at her to run away, but something else inside her compelled her to run back. Something strong and almost fearless.

Aylene grabbed one of the branches binding Littlefoot and drew and arrow out of her quiver.  She didn’t have a knife, so her arrowheads were her best option right now.

“JUST HANG ON!” she screamed.

Sharptooth continued to snap his jaws at Littlefoot. Aylene shuddered at the sight of all those large, pointed teeth. Once or twice, they almost got hold of Littlefoot’s tail or back feet. The only thing that was preventing him from reaching Littlefoot at all was a thick vine entangled over his snout.

But it wasn’t going to hold for much longer.

Aylene hastily hacked though Littlefoot’s bindings with her arrow; hoping and praying that it would work.

Finally, with one last effort, she cut the him free!

Aylene’s arrowhead broke off, imbedding itself in the vine close to a large thorn!

At the same time, the vine, thorn, and arrowhead snapped back and struck Sharptooth in the left eye!

* * *

 

 

Sharptooth roared in agonizing pain and burst up out of the thorn bush. His eye hurt terribly, even after he managed to get the thorn out.

It was in his pain that he realized what that creature was. He, too, had heard the tales of beings from another world. He heard of their bravery, intelligence, and ability to adapt with their environment.

That creature used a sharp rock on a stick to cut the vines. That was proof enough.

That creature was a human! And it was her pointed rock that struck his eye!

And how DARE she and that long-neck hurt him! This was no longer just a hunt for food! Revenge took over his blood-stained mind!

* * *

 

Littlefoot and Aylene ran as fast as they could. With Sharptooth distracted from a shot to the eye, they hoped it would be enough to let them escape. Miraculously, they managed to catch up with Cera.

Then all of a sudden, Sharptooth leapt out of the bushes.

The ground shook violently as he landed behind the three fleeing creatures, causing them to lose their balance and fall. Sharptooth blew his hot, stinky breath onto them with murderous rage. He moved in towards Littlefoot and Aylene, ready to kill.

Suddenly, a large tail whipped around as if from nowhere and smacked Sharptooth away. He stumbled back for several feet before slamming his head into a massive boulder.

Littlefoot, Aylene, and Cera turned to saw Littlefoot’s mother standing protectively behind them. She glared at her son’s attacker, and her whole body was tense. The group of three rushed under the mighty Apatosaurus as the T-Rex fiercely struggled to get up.

He hit his head against the boulder several times in his attempts to get back on his feet, smashing it into pieces.

“Run! Run!” Littlefoot’s mother commanded, pushing the three young ones away from her.

“LOOK OUT!” Aylene screamed and pointed.

Sharptooth was advancing on them!

Littlefoot, Aylene, and Cera bobbed and weaved to stay away from the female long-neck’s feet as she maneuvered in and out of the range of Sharptooth’s jaws, waiting for a moment to strike. Sharptooth, fully enraged, snapped at her continuously as he moved in closer. With his remaining good eye, he kept the little long-neck and human in his sights. He wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into their tiny, frail bodies.

As he lunged towards them, he left himself open. Littlefoot’s mother whipped her tail around again and hit Sharptooth against a rock wall. He slumped to the ground.

For a brief moment, Aylene thought he was knocked out, and drew in a shaky breath.

But as she and her group ran to safety, a giant shadow cast over them.

What happened next was worse than they could’ve imagined!

Sharptooth jumped high into the air and landed on Littlefoot’s mother’s back!

The three young ones stared helplessly in horror as they watched Sharptooth grab a chunk of flesh of the older long-neck with his jaws, and rip it clean off!

Littlefoot’s mother reared up and managed to dislodge Sharptooth from her back, but the injury was very severe.

Again, Sharptooth advanced on his prey. He was not going to let that the little runts escape so easily.

With a tremendous effort, Littlefoot’s mother swung her tail and knocked Sharptooth to the ground. He slid down a hill into a batch of rocks and dirt.

“Mother!” Littlefoot cried out, his eyes wide with panic.

“Don’t worry about me!” the female long-neck said, trying to hide the pain in her voice. “Just run!”

The four of them set off running again. Aylene struggled to keep up, both from her slow speed, and from the shaking in her legs. Only Littlefoot soon realized that she was quickly falling behind, and raced back towards her.

This time, he was going back for her.

“Aylene, get on!” he said urgently, turning his side towards her.

Aylene mounted onto the long-neck and clutched the base of his neck for dear life as he raced forward.

“Mrs. Longneck!” the girl said to Littlefoot’s mother when they caught up. “Once we find a safe place, I’ll take a look at that injury! I think I can help!”

Even as Aylene spoke those words, a small part of her fearfully wonder if there was anything she could do to help. From what she could see from down below, that injury was grave. Already, warm blood was oozing out of it and running down the female Apatosaurus’s sides.

Then, the ground started to tremble again.

It wasn’t because of Sharptooth this time. It was from something much worse. Something that couldn’t be fought against by anyone.

“EARTHSHAKE!” Cera cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Littlefoot and Aylene have a little bonding moment. And, being a Legend of Zelda fan, I thought it would be interesting if Aylene played an ocarina. Which, fun fact, I also play the ocarina.
> 
> Sharptooth's attack was a lot of fun to write. It really sets up a lot of events that are to come in this story, and it was interesting to briefly slip into Sharptooth's mind to see what he thought of all this.
> 
> As for the three main characters, they just witnessed some heavy stuff. And the worst of it is still to come.


	5. Earthquake and Tragedies

**Earthquake and Tragedies**

 

The earth shook with violent force underneath the feet of the retreating dinosaurs and human. A large rock suddenly spiked up and separated the children from the adult. It was only a matter of seconds before they found themselves completely stranded.

Aylene heard a savage roar from behind. She snapped her head around and screamed.

“SHARPTOOTH’S BACK!”

Sharptooth had somehow gotten up out of the rubble and was charging on the children like a living nightmare. His fangs dripped with both saliva and blood.

Littlefoot and Cera sprinted away with Aylene still clutching the base of Littlefoot’s neck. She held on so tight that her hands trembled. At the speed he was going, if he happened to buck her off, she could quite possibly break her neck.

Sharptooth quickly caught up with the trio and was now towering over them. As he stomped his left foot down, all three creatures flew up and landed on top of it for a brief moment. The massive dinosaur tried to shake them off, but they held on.

As they came to a crack in the earth, boiling hot steam shot out, nearly scalding Sharptooth’s foot! 

The behemoth jerked back from the sudden shock. At the same time, Aylene flew off of Littlefoot, over the crack, just barely missing the steam, and landed hard on the opposite piece of earth. She twisted in pain and fought to regain her senses. The taste of iron filled her mouth, and she spat out a small bit of blood. She struggled to sit up against the rumbling earth below her. She could still hear Littlefoot and Cera screams along with Sharptooth’s roars from behind her. She whipped her head around in time to see Sharptooth slip and slide down the rock that had now angled toward the abyss below.

“MOTHER!” Littlefoot cried as he and Cera gripped the end Sharptooth’s tail.

From the far side, Aylene could see the elder Apotosaurus had fallen among a cluster of boulders. She raised her head when she heard her son’s cry for help. Slowly and weakly, she got to her feet.

Aylene couldn’t see what was happening on the edge where Littlefoot, Cera and Sharptooth had fallen, but she could hear the roars and snaps of the T-Rex. She trembled uncontrollably, trying to stand up. She hated to imagine Sharptooth getting a hold of those little dinosaurs. She wanted to help them, but she was scared stiff. So much was happening all at once, and she was powerless against it.

Luckily, just as Sharptooth was about to devour the dinosaur children, Littlefoot’s mother made it to the edge just in time to smack Sharptooth off. He howled as he plummeted into abyss below. The Apatosaurus grabbed Littlefoot and Cera by their tails with her mouth, pulling them up to safety.

Aylene watched in terror as she saw the T-Rex fall into the blackness of the gorge below. She then quickly backed away from the edge, completely frightened.

The moment Littlefoot’s mother let him and Cera go, the little long-neck ran over to Aylene.  Cera ran off in the opposite direction the moment her feet touched ground, screeching for her family.

“Aylene, are you alright?!” Littlefoot asked, his voice shaky.

“I’m fine.” Aylene answered, wiping some blood from her mouth. “Are you okay?”

Littlefoot nodded.

As soon as Aylene was up on her feet, she, Littlefoot and his mother set off back towards their herd.

Then, the earthquake worsened. 

Spikes of rocks sprung up from every direction. The land itself seemed to role like a wave. Masses of lands with dinosaurs on them dislodged themselves from the earth and fell into the crevasse, taking the herds with them. 

Cera could see her father in sight as she approached a small dip. She called out for him and sprung forward. At that moment, the land split and created a huge gap. Cera barely managed to avoid falling off the edge and scrambled away.

As Littlefoot and his group approached a rock formation, the earth below him and Aylene shifted, elevating them up and leaving Littlefoot’s mother below among plumes of dirt and dust. Aylene shrieked and clutched Littlefoot with all the strength she had. Littlefoot screamed and wrapped his long neck firmly around Aylene. They both trembled as the earthquake continued.

Suddenly, almost as quickly as they came, the tremors stopped. But the results they created remained.

The land had changed drastically. Sections that were once flat were now lined with cliffs and deep, wide chasms cut through the ground like battle wounds.

On a lower level, Cera stared up in despair as her family’s faces peeked over the top of the large wall of rock. The newly formed canyon made it impossible for her to reach them. All she could do was call up to them. Only her voice could reach them now.

Littlefoot and Aylene looked down from where they were and saw the destruction. For a long time, neither one could so much as speak.

Up in the red tainted sky, dark clouds began to form. By the time the Apatosaurus and human noticed them, they found themselves caught in downpour. But it wasn’t the chill of the rain that made them shiver.

“Mother.” Littlefoot whispered, his face filled with dread.

“C’mon.” Aylene said. “We gotta find her." 

The two made their way down the ledge as fast as they could. When they got to the bottom, they had to maneuver over broken rocks and constantly jump from one ledge to another. The rain showed them no mercy, making the ground slippery, and their vision obscure. It came down from the sky in torrents without any signs of letting up.

Littlefoot and Aylene became soaked to the bone, cold, and miserable. But they still continued their search. All they could focus on was finding the young Apatosaurus’s mother.

“MOTHER!”

“MRS. LONGNECK!”

“MOTHER, WHERE ARE YOU?!”

From the corner of her eye, Aylene saw something move against the dark grayness of the clouds. She saw something large draped over an outcrop of rocks.

“LITTLEFOOT, OVER THERE!” she pointed franticly.

Littlefoot turned and saw what she was directing him to. There was no mistaking it.

“MOTHER!” he cried.

The two friends quickly ran over to the fallen Apatosaurus. She groaned weakly as she heard them approach.

“Oh, no…” Aylene whispered, slowing to a stop.

A single look at the Apatosaurus told Aylene there was nothing she could do now. Littlefoot’s mother had injuries on her neck as well as her back. The life blood that came from them mixed with the rain and dripped onto the stones below, staining them red.

“Mother,” Littlefoot whimpered. “Please get up.”

“I’m…not sure I can, Littlefoot,” she replied feebly, trying to hoist herself up. 

“Yes, you can,” the longneck hatchling pleaded. “Get up!”

Littlefoot’s mother tried to stand, but her strength was gone, drained from exhaustion, blood loss, and shock. She sagged for a moment before falling, making the rocks crumple away beneath her.

Littlefoot lay down in front of his mother’s face. He didn’t know what was going on, only that it was bad. His heart felt like it was about to break, and he had a sick feeling in his stomach.

“Dear sweet Littlefoot,” his mother said, her voice weak, “do you remember the way to the Great Valley?”

Littlefoot fought back his tears and replied, “I guess so. But why doI have to know, you’re going to be with me!”

The little long-neck leaned in closer and nuzzled his mother’s face as her tail went limp.

“I’ll be with you,” she whispered. “Even if you can’t see me.”

“What do you mean if I can’t see you?” Littlefoot looked at his mother’s face. “I can always see you.”

“Littlefoot,” His mother breathed. “Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely.”

With those last words, Littlefoot’s mother eyes slowly closed, and she breathed out her last breath.

“Mother.” Littlefoot whispered, his voice cracking. “Mother!”

Nothing.

His mother was gone.

Littlefoot sobbed when he realized the truth.

Tears rolled down his face and he felt as if his heart had broken in two. He didn’t even notice the rain anymore. All he could think of was that his mother was dead, and that it was his fault. If he hadn’t wandered off, he wouldn’t have run into Sharptooth, and that monster wouldn’t have hurt her.

Aylene cried as well. She couldn’t feel the cold of the rain splashing against her. She had gone completely numb. She sank to her knees, ignoring the shots of pain the small rocks sent through her legs, and hid her face in her hands.

“I want to go home,” Aylene whispered under her breath. But the stone around her neck didn’t respond. It only continued to glow faintly in the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really hard to write, particularly the ending. Mostly because I had to go back over a few times because it wasn't working. I realized that it was because I was jumping between characters too much, and that the focus had to be more on Littlefoot than Aylene at this point. He's the one dealing with the loss of his mother, Aylene is just an observer right now. It still affects her, but she's not supposed to be the focus right now.


	6. Rooter

**Rooter**

 

Lightning suddenly flashed, and a crack of thunder shook the sky itself. It snapped Aylene back to reality with a cold shock. She was still out in the rain.

The storm was getting worse. She and Littlefoot had to find shelter.

Shakily, she got up and ran over to the grieving long-neck.

“Littlefoot, c’mon!” she choked. “We can’t stay here!”

Littlefoot barely acknowledged her. He shifted to try and get up, but his limbs felt numb.

Unsure of what else to do, Aylene helped him to his feet as best she could and guided him away from the dead Apatosaurus. It was a difficult task. He was more than twice her size, and her strength was nearly drained from the terrifying events that had taken place. Her muscles ached and her legs felt like putty. It took nearly all her effort just to support herself.

Littlefoot felt worse. His stomach ached and his head throbbed. His legs were so weak that he could barely stand up, let alone walk. He didn’t seem to notice Aylene’s persistence to find shelter. All he could think about was his mother.

Finally, Aylene firmly placed both her hands on both sides of his face and made him look at her straight in the eyes.

“Littlefoot, listen!” she pleaded, raising her voice above the ever-growing storm. “I know you’re sad and scared, but there’s nothing we can do for her now! We have to get out of the rain! It’s not safe out here in the open!”

Littlefoot nodded slightly.

Finding just enough strength to walk, Littlefoot and Aylene trudged through the rain. As they got further away from Littlefoot’s mother, he looked back over his shoulder to catch one final glimpse of her.

Eventually, she was out of sight completely.

The rain continued to fall, the wind began to blow fast and hard, and more lightening flashed across the ominous sky. Aylene’s anxiety began to take over. The storm was getting closer, like it was hunting them.

Luckily, by some miracle, they soon came upon a formation of large rocks that had toppled over during the earthquake, creating a kind of cave-like structure. They hurried inside, feeling just a bit of relief to be out of the rain.

The largest rock that covered them was few feet above their heads, allowing them to stand up. The only thing was rather small in terms of floorspace. A large, round shape rested at the back of the cave, giving them very little room to maneuver. Still, it was at least dry, and it shielded them from the howling wind.

Once they were inside, Aylene took off her bow, quiver, and gym bag. She shivered and hugged herself as the raindrops on her skin began to take over. She rubbed her arms to try and warm them.

Littlefoot collapsed on the floor of the cave near the back. His strength was completely gone. His tears continued to fall as the image of his mother’s fight replayed over and over in his mind, refusing to leave him alone. It was too painful to believe, and it tore him up inside.

The same fight haunted Aylene’s memory as well. It made her shudder with fear. That image of Sharptooth leaping up on the might Apatosaurus’s back, and tearing chunks out of it with his deadly jaws, sent chill after chill down her spine. She tried hard not to think of what would’ve happened if she had gotten caught between those massive teeth, but the very idea filled her with horror.

Her trance was broken by a heartbroken whimper.

Aylene tensed and looked over at her shoulder at Littlefoot. The pain her chest grew. She had never witnessed the death of anything before, let alone someone’s family member. She knew Littlefoot was feeling it more than she was. What was worse, there was nothing she could do about it. She opened and closed her mouth, desperately searching for the right words to say. But they never came. What could she say? It wouldn’t change anything.

The was nothing she could say.

Aylene cast her gaze down to her feet. The plumes on her arrows caught her attention. Her eyes widened and she looked sharply at her bow.

The tears returned to her eyes, and unbearable guilt stabbed her in the chest.

She had a weapon! A long-ranged one! She could’ve stopped Sharptooth right then and there! She should’ve done it when she had the chance! But she didn’t! She just ran and screamed like a coward!

She did nothing! She let it all happen! She let Littlefoot’s mother die!

Aylene’s face went pale. The tears that gathered in her eyes fell with just a single blink. She gritted her teeth to prevent a sob from escaping, wrapped her arms around herself, and fell to her knees. It was like she had been gutted by spear. One that penetrated her very soul and pierced it with immense guilt.

Then all at once, the large object from behind Littlefoot moved!

Littlefoot jumped and backed away in fear before stumbling to the ground!

“Littlefoot!” Aylene yelped.

She grabbed her bow and an arrow out of her quiver. Whatever this thing was, she wasn’t going to let it hurt her friend this time.

“What’s going on here?!” a gruff voice came from the thing.

It turned around completely, and Aylene saw that it was an old Scolosaurus. His skin was a dark green and he had three rows of spikes on his back. His snout was tan, and he had near-obsidian eyes. He also appeared to have thick eyebrows that were just as faded and dull as the rest of his skin.

Littlefoot backed away from him, whimpering. Aylene rushed to her friend to assure him that she was there.

The Scolosaurus looked at Littlefoot and appeared to be disgusted by what he saw.

“What’s your problem? You’re not hurt!” he huffed.

“Back off!” Aylene snapped.

The elder looked at Aylene, surprised to see her, and offended that she spoke to her in a rude fashion. He was a lot bigger than she was, but she still looked at him with hurt and resentment.

“It’s not fair!” Littlefoot sobbed as he scowled at the old Scolosaurus. “She should’ve known better! That was Sharptooth!”

The young long-neck turned away and mumbled, “It’s all her fault.”

“All “who’s” fault?” The elder dinosaur asked gruffly.

“Mother’s!” Littlefoot blurted out.

He turned to Aylene and cried into her shoulder.

Aylene put her bow and arrow down and gently hugged the long-neck, glaring angrily at the old dinosaur.

“A T-Rex called Sharptooth attacked us!” she said harshly, her voice cracking. “Littlefoot’s mother died saving us! Don’t say we’re not hurt, because we are!”

The Scolosaurus’s eyes immediately softened.

“Oh, I see,” he whispered solemnly. “I see.”

“Why did I wonder so far from home?” Littlefoot whimpered.

“No, it’s my fault,” Aylene choked. “I should’ve shot that monster down when I had the chance. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, it not either of your faults,” the elder kindly said, “and it’s not your mother’s fault. Now, you both pay attention to old Rooter.”

Littlefoot and Aylene looked up at Rooter. Rooter gave Littlefoot and small, sentimental smile, as if what he had to say was for the young Apatosaurus only.

“It is nobody’s fault,” his voice was low and wise. “The Great Circle of Life has begun. But you see, not all of us arrive together at the end.”

“What’ll I do?” Littlefoot said tearfully. “I miss her so much.”

“And you’ll always miss her,” Rooter continued, “but she’ll always be with you as long as you remember the things she taught you. In a way, you’ll never be apart. For you are still apart of each other.”

The words that Rooter spoke of were slowly mending the break in Littlefoot’s heart. Not completely, but it was enough to give the long-neck a sliver of hope again. However, the ache in his stomach still gave him discomfort.

“My tummy hurts,” he moaned.

“Well,” Rooter gently replied, “that, too, will go in time, Littlefoot. Only in time.”

Rooter then turned his attention to Aylene.

“As for you, I take it that you’re a human.”

“Yeah, how’d you know?” Aylene replied, surprised.

“When you’ve been around as long as I have, you hear many things.” Rooter explained. “I’ve heard the tales of humans throughout my years. Quite an extraordinary species, I may say. Now tell me, what’s your name?

“Aylene.”

“Well, little Aylene,” Rooter calmly said, “I can see you have a powerful spirit. You’ll find your courage someday. Just remember this: true strength comes from those you keep close to your heart.”

Aylene stared at the old Scolosaurus. He sounded so sure in his words, but Aylene had a hard time believing them.

Without speaking another word, Rooter simply turned around and walked out of the fallen rocks, into the storm and rain.

With Rooter gone, there was more space for the two lost ones.

After the moment had passed, Aylene wiped her tears away. She got up and went over to where she had placed her bag. She pulled out her towel and began to dry herself off. She even wrung most of the water out of her hair.

Seeing Littlefoot still soaking wet, she walked over to him and dried him off with the towel as well. He barely paid any attention to her. He didn’t even notice the hunger gnawing away at his insides. All he could do was just lie there and think about his mother, and that she was gone from his life forever. He felt disillusioned and lost. Nothing made sense to him anymore.

When she was done, Aylene laid her towel over a rock to dry. Wanting to give her friend some space, she went over to a more comfortable part of the cave and settled down to rest. She hugged herself and curled up into a ball, shivering with cold. She glanced down at her necklace and clutched the stone with desperate longing.

She just wished that it would send her home. This adventure had been exciting at the beginning, but now, after all that happened tonight, she just wanted to leave it behind. The horrible thoughts of what she saw in this world made her tremble even more. Doubt crept into her mind, making her think that she wasn’t going to make out of this world alive.

The very thought was enough to strangle her hope.

Littlefoot heard Aylene shivering. He lifted his head and turned to look at her. It suddenly struck him that he had only known this human for a day, but they had already gone through a lot together. Seeing her like this, so cold and small, struck a compassionate cord in him. He got up from his spot, walked over to her, and laid down beside her.

Aylene felt his body heat and twitched with surprise.

“Littlefoot?”

“At least we’re not alone,” he whispered, lowering his head to the ground.

As the Littlefoot drifted off to sleep, the words he had just spoken lingered in Aylene’s mind.  They made her realize something. If she did somehow manage to get home, Littlefoot would be alone. She may be the only human in this time, but at least she knew her family was still alive and safe. Littlefoot had no one. He had just witnessed the death of a family member, one of whom he loved dearly, and he didn’t know if his grandparents survived the earthquake or not.

If she left him, she would be abandoning a friend. She couldn’t leave him like this. She just couldn’t.

Yet, she wanted to go home, too. She wanted it so badly it made her heart ache.

The two conflicting feelings fought inside Aylene as sleep overtook her. She just couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only now that guilt is hitting Aylene like a freight train. And it's the start of her character growth.
> 
> I really don't have much to say about this chapter. I did enjoy writing Rooter's speech, but that's pretty much it.


	7. Whispers and Promises

**Whispers and Promises**

 

_Aylene sprinted across the deserted land with the monstrous behemoth, Sharptooth, so very close behind her. Suddenly, she felt as if her legs were caught in quicksand. Sharptooth caught up to her. She looked up at him in fear. He regarded her for one terrifying moment. Then, he ran past her._

_Littlefoot on the horizon!_

_“LITTLEFOOT, LOOK OUT!” Aylene cried._

_But it was too late!_

_Before the little long-neck could get away, Sharptooth caught him, trapping Littlefoot underneath one foot! The Apatosaurus desperately struggled and strained to get free but to no avail!_

_Aylene gripped her bow and drew an arrow. Just as she was about to take aim and fire, her bow exploded in hand, reducing to nothing more than splinters. Aylene screamed in pain as they pierced her hand._

_Sharptooth turned to Aylene with his one good eye and grinned wickedly. He was enjoying her helplessness._

**_“Don’t you see, little human?!”_ ** _he snarled, his voice dark and dripping with evil. **“You can’t protect him! You can’t even protect yourself! You’re pathetic!”**_

_“No! Stop, please!” Aylene shouted, tears welling up in her eyes. “Don’t hurt him! Kill me instead!”_

_“Don’t worry.” Sharptooth growled. “Once I’m finished with him, you’re next!”_

_Sharptooth then bent down towards Littlefoot, jaws ready to kill!_

_“AYLENE!” Littlefoot cried. “AYLENE, HELP!”_

_Sharptooth was now dangerously close to Littlefoot’s flank, ready to bite into his flesh!_

**_“LITTLEFOOT! NO!”_ **

* * *

 

Aylene’s eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright with a horrible gasp. Her heart raced, her breathing was heavy, and cold sweat rolled down her face. She looked around franticly. She was back inside the small cave.

The sun had already risen into the sky. Its reddish-gold rays shone from the entrance of the cave, and burned on the quake-ravaged land outside.

Aylene inspected her trembling left hand. There were no signs of splinters.

“It was just a nightmare,” she sighed with relief.

Just as Aylene relaxed, she noticed something.

Littlefoot was _gone_!

“Littlefoot?” she quietly called, thinking that maybe he moved to a different part of the cavern.

No response. He wasn’t anywhere in the cave.

“Littlefoot!” she called again, this time louder.

Still nothing.

Aylene’s panic started to rise. She scrambled to her feet and rushed out of the cave, ignoring the soreness in her legs from yesterday.

The brightness from the sun blinded her for a moment, making her blink and shield her eyes. When she regained her vision, she desperately scanned over her surroundings for any sign of the little Apatosaurus.

“Littlefoot!” she cried out desperately, her voice reaching across the empty plain.

Out of the corner of her eye, something moved.

She turned sharply and saw Littlefoot in a large footprint that belonged to a large sauropod. He rubbed his face against it and whimpered. When he saw Aylene, he slowly got up out of it, looking back one more time in sadness.

Aylene rushed at him and wrapped her arms around his neck again, making him stagger. She sank to her knees and buried her face against his shoulder. She shook violently as she struggled to hold back the tears and clutched Littlefoot tightly.

Littlefoot looked at her, surprised.

“Aylene…?”

Aylene tightened her grip and let her tears fall.

Littlefoot grimaced in emotional pain and wrapped his long neck around her. They clung to each other like two shipwrecked survivors on a deserted beach.

_“Littlefoot.”_

They both jolted up at the same time when they heard a whisper in the wind.

_“Littlefoot.”_

Both Littlefoot and Aylene looked around for the source of the voice. There was no one else around. They were all alone.

Then, a small shadow swished over them. They turned their gaze up and saw the tree-star that Littlefoot’s mother had given him gently falling down from the sky. They watched as it landed gracefully in the Apatosaurus footprint.

Aylene loosened her grip on Littlefoot and stood up. Littlefoot cautiously walked over to the tree-star. In the center of the leaf, water collected to make some kind of mirror. He looked in it and saw his refection.

_“Dear Littlefoot.”_ the voice said again and the water in the leaf rippled.

His eyes widened in shock and he jerked back for a moment. Aylene also stepped back in surprise.

It was his _mother’s_ voice!  But where was it coming from?

Was it coming from the _leaf?!_

The voice spoke again.

_“Do you remember the way to the Great Valley?”_

Littlefoot slowly shook his head.

_“Follow the Bright Circle past the great rock that looks like a long-neck and past the mountains that burn.”_

Littlefoot nodded as his mother’s voice instructed him.

_“I’ll be in your heart, Littlefoot.”_ her voice said lovingly. _“Let your heart guide you.”_

For a while, neither Littlefoot or Aylene moved or spoke. They were surrounded by silence. Not even the faint wind that crossed the landscape could be heard.

Finally, Littlefoot took the tree-star in his mouth and put it onto his back. The water in the center of it trickled down his sides. He then turned toward Aylene.

“I’ll go get my things,” she said, and walked back to the cave.

She whipped the towel to clear it of any dirt, rolled it up, and put back in her gym bag. She slung on the bag before strapping her quiver around her waist and grabbing her bow.

As she looked at her weapon, she gripped it tightly in her fist and scowled as her nightmare returned to her mind. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply through her nose. She then opened her eyes and hardened her face.

“I won’t make the same mistake twice,” she muttered to herself with conviction.

With that, she turned and walked out of the cave where Littlefoot was waiting for her.

“You okay, Aylene?” he asked. “You…kind of scared me back there.”

Aylene looked away. “Sorry. It’s just…”

Aylene’s voice trailed off. She didn’t want to tell Littlefoot about her nightmare. It would just scare him even more. Although she knew that Sharptooth had fallen into the ravine, she couldn’t help but worry about it.

Instead, she just sighed again and said, “Never mind, it’s nothing. C’mon, let’s get moving.”

With that, Littlefoot and Aylene set out toward the west.

Pretty soon, they found themselves walking along the ravine that had divided them from Littlefoot’s grandparents. The cliff rose high above their heads towards the heavens, reminding them just how small they really were.

“Looks like we won’t be able to go this way,” Littlefoot gloomily said. “I’m not very good at climbing.”

“Neither am I,” Aylene said, biting her lip and looking away guiltily.

As they walked along the edge of the chasm, Aylene made sure to stay as far away from the ditch as she could. She didn’t want to look down into that straight drop. She knew it would just make her faint or something.

Littlefoot took notice of Aylene’s actions and became rather curious about them. While he was a little more than three feet from the canyon, she was practically three yards away.

“What’s wrong, Aylene?” he asked.

“Nothing.” Aylene answered rather quickly.

“C’mon, you can tell me. Why are you walking so far over there?”

Aylene looked at Littlefoot with peculiar expression.

Finally, she took a deep breath and admitted with embarrassment, “I’m afraid of heights!  There, I said it!”

Littlefoot made a curious face. Unlike Aylene, he enjoyed being high up. He was accustomed to being lifted up high ever since he was a baby. But Aylene saying she was afraid of heights, coupled with the way she said it, made it all sound rather…funny.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he said.

“Oh sure,” Aylene groaned sarcastically, “except falling off and rushing to your doom.  And probably having your heart stop before you hit the bottom of a bottomless pit.”

“C’mon, it’s not that bad.” the long-neck replied.

“Maybe not for you,” Aylene replied, sounding a bit snarky, “When you grow up you’ll be a giant and tower over me.”

The two stared at each other for a second before giggling at the joke. It was the first laugh they had in a long time.

Littlefoot then looked at his tree-star, and a frown returned to his face.

Aylene saw his reaction and looked away sadly, rubbing her arm.

“I miss her,” Littlefoot whimpered. “I miss my family.”

“I miss my family, too,” Aylene whispered.

The two looked at each other again. Although they were of different species, and were from different worlds, they realized that, in that instance, they had at least one thing in common.

They were separated from their families. They were all alone in this vast world.

Littlefoot circled the ground with his paw and Aylene let out a sigh.

“Hey, Littlefoot,” she said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah?”

“Listen,” Aylene began, “I know that we haven’t known each other for long, but…I want to help you find your way to the Great Valley.”

Littlefoot blinked and looked Aylene in the eye.

“I thought that’s what you were already doing?” he said.

“Well, yes,” Aylene mumbled, “but when I say, “help”, I mean it in a more serious sense.”

Littlefoot raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Look,” Aylene continued, “I don’t mean to make this hard, and I don’t want to do anything to hurt you, but what happened last night made me realize that it was only a taste of the dangers that we’ll have to face. I…I don’t want to lose anyone else. And right now, all we have is each other. I don’t want to lose you, too.”

Littlefoot lowered his head as tears welled up in his eyes.

“I don’t want to lose you either,” he admitted sadly. “You’re the only friend I’ve ever had.”

“So, I want to make a promise,” Aylene said.

Littlefoot lifted his face with surprise.

“A promise?” he questioned.

“Yeah, I always find I feel better if I make a promise,” Aylene explained. “It gives me something to strive for.”

“Okay,” Littlefoot gave a small smile. “Then…let’s promise that we’ll stay together no matter what.”

Aylene smiled back.

“And I also promise that no matter what happens, I’ll always be there when you need me,” she stated.

Littlefoot nodded and said, “And I’ll always be there when you need me.”

Aylene acknowledged his statement and stuck out her right hand. At first, Littlefoot didn’t know what to do with the gesture. He glanced back and forth between her face and her hand.

“You’re supposed so shake on it with you hand,” Aylene explained. “Or in this case, I guess it would be your paw. It’s what people do when they make an agreement.”

Littlefoot nodded in understanding and held out his right paw. The two shook hand and paw as their pact was made.

With that, the two set out on their journey once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pact has been made between two friends. Let's just hope it will be enough to get them through the trials ahead. Because this journey is just getting started.


	8. Cera

**Cera**

 

The sun continued to rise in the sky as the two companions walked along the side of the gorge. They hoped that they could find a way over to the other side and rejoin with Littlefoot’s grandparents.

However, no matter how far they walked, they couldn’t find a way. All paths just lead down into the canyon.

To avoid getting dehydrated, Aylene had pulled out her water bottle and kept taking little sips every few minutes. She gave Littlefoot some water from her other bottle. They both drank only enough to keep them going. They didn’t know when would find fresh, drinkable water again. From the looks of this wasteland, the chances of that were pretty slim.

Aylene was just glad she had decided to packtwo bottles, and that she chose large ones.

As they walked, Littlefoot and Aylene began to have casual conversations. Littlefoot still had so many questions to ask Aylene, and now seemed to be the best time to get some answers.

“So, Aylene, what are your arrows made of?”

Aylene pulled out one of her arrows and showed it to Littlefoot.

“Well, the stick, which is called the shaft, is made of wood,” she explained. “The arrowhead is made of stone, and the flippers on the end, which are called fletchings, are made of feathers.”

Littlefoot examined the arrow with amazement. He was fascinated by how three different things could be combined into one to create something different and useful. It was very interesting.

“My grandma taught me how to make my own arrows,” Aylene added.

“That’s pretty neat,” Littlefoot replied.

“Yeah,” Aylene shrugged dismally as a thought crossed her mind, “although I’m not sure how much damage an arrow could do to a T-Rex.”

“T-Rex?”

That word was certainly new to Littlefoot.

“Short for Tyrannosaurus Rex,” Aylene said. “That’s what we call a dinosaur like Sharptooth.”

Aylene caught the glistening in Littlefoot’s eyes and his expression change to a mix of fear and sadness.

She spoke up again in a lighthearted voice.

“We also have name for dinosaurs like you, too.”

Littlefoot returned his gaze at Aylene again, his despair being replaced by surprise.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Aylene nodded. “Long-necked dinosaurs as a whole would be classified as sauropods. The type of sauropod that you are is an Apatosaurus. And Cera, the three-horn we met yesterday, is a Triceratops because she has three horns on her head. Or rather _,_ she will have three horns when she’s an adult.”

“Adult?”

“Grown-up.”

Aylene giggled at Littlefoot naivety. But she wasn’t looking down on it. In a lot of ways, his innocence was rather refreshing.

“Wow, you sure know a lot about dinosaurs,” the little long-neck complimented.

Aylene paused when Littlefoot said that. Then, she let out groan, realizing she was spouting out information again.

“Yeah, that’s how I got the nickname “Dino Nerd” back in my world,” she mumbled bitterly.t

Aylene then raised the bottle of water to her lips to drink again.

“So, you have dinosaurs back where you come from?” Littlefoot asked.

Aylene’s eyes widened in shock, and she inhaled some of her water.

Then to Littlefoot’s surprise, she sprayed the water back out of her mouth and onto the ground, making him jump and back away.

Aylene coughed and choked, her body trying to get the water out of her windpipe. She dropped to the ground and struggled to breathe properly again. Her throat started to hurt, and tear gathered up in her eyes.

When her coughing grew weaker, and her breathing stronger, she turned back to Littlefoot with a disturbed look.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” Aylene wheezed, giving one last weak cough. “Sorry. Uh, um, what was the question again?”

“I asked if you had dinosaurs back in your world,” Littlefoot repeated tentatively.

“Uh…well…”

Aylene was at a loss for words.

How was she going to tell this little Apatosaurus, who has already witnessed a death, that all dinosaurs in her world are _extinct?!_

They had just gotten their spirits back up! There was absolutely no way she could say that calmly or passively since it was a big thing from a dinosaur’s perspective! But he was waiting for an answer! How in the whole wide world could she tell him _this?!_

Aylene swallowed the lump in her throat. She had to at least try.

“Well, you see…”

Before Aylene could go on, Littlefoot saw something on their side of the ravine just a few yards away.

“CERA!” he shouted in joyful recognition.

Littlefoot raced toward the lost Triceratops. Aylene hesitated for a moment before running after him, secretly relieved that Cera appeared just in time.

Cera on the other hand, wasn’t too happy to see either them. When they approached her, she gave a sourpuss face and grunted.

“What do you want?”

“Uh, nothing,” Littlefoot recoiled, sensing her foul mood. “Where are you going?”

Cera stuck her horn up in the air and said in a snoot tone, “I’M going to find my OWN kind. They’re on the other side.”

“But we already looked all over here,” Aylene explained, standing beside Littlefoot. “You can’t climb up to the other side.”

“Maybe YOU can’t!” Cera snorted, trying to get in Aylene’s face, but only coming up to her chest.

Aylene leaned away from the horn on Cera’s nose. She might have been taller than the Triceratops, but that horn made her aware of just how much this dinosaur could do if provoked.

Cera then jumped down on a small ledged about a foot down from where they were standing. It started out flat, but then sloped down into the canyon.

“Wait, we’re going to the Great Valley.” Littlefoot said quickly. “You could come with us. We could help each other.”

Cera glowered at the idea.

“A three-horn does not need help from a long-neck!” she replied snobbishly

Cera stuck horn up in the air again and kicked up some dirt into Littlefoot’s face. That act of defiance immediately backfired on her. She slipped on the slick ground and slid down the ramp into the darker pit below. Littlefoot and Aylene watched as Cera screamed and nearly disappeared into the blackness of the cavern.

Aylene began to feel nauseous and dizzy as her fear of heights took over, and she quickly backed away.

“Well, at least we wouldn’t be alone!” Littlefoot called down to Cera.

Cera, feeling a dent in her pride, got to her feet and looked angrily up at Littlefoot. Although he could barely see her face, he could sense that she was scowling at him.

“Well, when I find my family I won’t BE alone!” she shouted. “So go away!”

Cera raised her horn and tail high in the air and walked down through the ravine in a pompous fashion, continuing her little “superiority” speech,

“Three-horns can be very dangerous. And they only TALK with other three-horns. And they only TRAVEL with other THREE-HORNS!”

Littlefoot sighed and shook her head. He then noticed that Aylene had disappeared from his side. He turned around and saw that she had crawled back a good eight feet away from the edge. He blinked in bewilderment when he saw she was breathing heavily, and shaking from head to toe.

“Are you THAT scared of heights?”

Aylene gave a pitiful expression and moaned. She stood up and the two walked away from the gorge. It was clear by now that they weren’t going to get anywhere but walking along the ridge. Their best bet was to head west now.

As they continued on, Aylene looked back and thought of Cera. She couldn’t explain why but something about that Triceratops made her feel a little sympathetic towards her. Sure, she was brash, headstrong; and if Aylene was pressed on the matter, rather bratty.

But while Aylene at least had Littlefoot for company, Cera had no one.

Was that why she was thinking about her? Was she just feeling sorry for her because she was alone? Did Cera even mind being alone? Aylene couldn’t answer that. The only thing she made clear was that she didn’t want the company of anyone other than another three-horn.

Aylene shrugged the thought away, and refocused on the journey ahead.

Eventually, Aylene felt her energy draining. She struggled to hide her misery. But as she and Littlefoot past a large boulder, she couldn’t help but stop and lean against it. Littlefoot saw her stop and walked back towards her.

“Aylene?”

Aylene slid down the rock and sat down, nearly worn out. He legs and feet ached, sweat ran down her face, and her stomach growled with hunger.

“Aylene, are you okay?”  Littlefoot lowered his head to her level, his face full of concern.

“I’m fine,” Aylene lied. “Just needed to sit down for a minute. Let’s keep moving.”

Aylene tried using the rock to hoist herself up, staggering the moment she was on her feet. When she took a step forward, her legs gave way.

As she fell, Littlefoot stuck out his neck and caught her.

“Sorry,” the girl grunted. “I hate being weak.”

Littlefoot then turned his side to her.

“Here,” he gently offered. “Get on. I’ll carry you.”

Aylene nodded gratefully. She carefully removed the leaf from Littlefoot’s back, holding it delicately, and climbed onto the little Apatosaurus. As soon as she was situated, Littlefoot continued across the wasteland, toward a cluster of trees growing on the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe, Aylene's compulsive nature to spout out facts backfired on her. How do you tell a dinosaur that in your world, their kind is extinct? Luckily, they now have bigger things to think about, like how they are going to keep themselves alive.


	9. Ducky and Petrie

**Ducky and Petrie**

 

Littlefoot and Aylene arrived at the edge of the forest just as the sun reached the center of the sky. Although most of the vegetation was dry, there were still some leaves left on a few branches. There was also water flowing down from a waterfall and into a pond.

“Well, I think we deserve a rest,” Aylene said.

She slipped off of Littlefoot’s back and took off her equipment. While the long-neck drank from the pond, Aylene went over to the waterfall and took out her sunscreen. Her skin was starting to turn a very bright pink, and it was hot from the rays of the sun. She smothered sunscreen on her arms, legs, face, and back. She felt sticky for sure, but at least her skin was protected from sunburn.

“What are you doing?” Littlefoot asked.

“Putting on sunscreen,” Aylene said casually. “It helps prevent us humans from getting sunburnt. And I really don’t want to have to deal with that right now.”

Littlefoot simply nodded before lowering his head down to get another drink. He didn’t quite understand what Aylene was saying, but he was too thirsty and hungry to really care at the moment.

Aylene put her sunscreen away, and pulled out her two near-empty water bottles. Before she filled them up, she stuck her hand under the waterfall and examined what had gathered in her palm. The water was cool and clear. Aylene sniffed it before taking a small sip. The taste was enough to convince her that it was fresh water, and safe for drinking. After Aylene filled up her two water bottles, she screwed the caps back on and put them back in her bag. 

After that, she stuck her head under the waterfall and let the water run down her, washing away the sweat and dirt. When she was done, she shook her head, letting the droplets of water from her hair fly in many directions.  She took the towel out of her bag and used it to quickly dry her hair. To her surprise and relief, she managed to find a hair-pick at the bottom of her bag, and used it to brush out the knots in her hair. She then took one of the elastic bands around her wrist and tied her hair back.

“Thank goodness my family goes camping a lot,” she casually remarked.

“Camping?” Littlefoot asked, overhearing her.

Again, that was a new word and concept for him.

Aylene sighed. There was so much that she was going to have to teach him.

“Camping is when you spend time in the wilderness and away from your home,” she explained. “It’s a tradition in my family. You could say it’s also why I know how to do archery. It taught how to survive in the wild; such as gathering food, water, identifying plants such as poison ivy, hu…”

Aylene caught herself just in time. She shouldn’t mention anything like hunting or fishing around an herbivore, especially one that has only known what it’s like to be the one hunted.

“Basically, it taught me essential skills I need to survive in the wilderness,” Aylene finished quickly. She held her breath for a moment.

Littlefoot nodded in understanding. He then laid down next to the water and began to munch on some dried leaves that were growing on a nearby bush. They weren’t the tastiest things in the world, but they were at least better than nothing.

Aylene let out a small sigh of relief. It looked like his curiosity had been satisfied for now.

She sat down beside him and munched on a granola bar. When she finished, she threw the wrapper back into the bag and took off one sandal.

“Whoa!” Littlefoot jolted in shock.

“What?!” Aylene quickly looked up at him.

“You just took off your foot!”

Realizing what had just happened, Aylene laughed at the comment.

Littlefoot looked confused at Aylene. What was so funny?

“This is called a sandal,” Aylene said. “This is what goes on my foot when I have to walk long distances. It helps protect my feet.”

She took off the other one and let her feet soak in the cool water. She leaned back against Littlefoot and stared up through the dead trees. The sky was a harsh tangerine hue, and the sun burned brightly above the forest. A light zephyr made the branches rustle, making them rattle against each other.

For a while, neither Littlefoot or Aylene spoke.

As they became lost in their thoughts, Littlefoot’s mind drifted back to his mother. He became filled with intense grief. He missed her so much that it made his insides hurt. He shut his eyes to hold back the tears that were gathering in them.

At the same time, a sudden terror came over him, quickly replacing his grief.

He didn’t tell Aylene this, but he had a nightmare last night. In it, he saw his mother killed all over again. Then, Sharptooth went after him. It ended with Sharptooth pinning him to the ground and then bending down to take a bit out of his flesh.

He had seen Sharptooth fall into the canyon. There was no way he could’ve survived a fall like that. He had to be dead. Littlefoot was sure of that.

Yet, the memory of that nightmare made him unnerved.

He snapped his eyes open to keep himself from remembering any further.

Aylene noticed Littlefoot lower his head dismally. She grabbed her bag, rummaged around in it and pulled out her ocarina again.

She played another song. This one was different than the one she played last night. It gave the feeling of wind blowing through lush and beautiful trees on a warm summer’s day.

The long-neck smiled a little as the song eased his thoughts. It reminded him that he was not alone. He still had a companion by his side.

When Aylene finished the song, she put the ocarina away and rested against Littlefoot’s side again.

Littlefoot felt a sense of comfort. He missed his mother and grandparents terribly, but at least this human was with him. Although she was still somewhat of a mystery to him, she was better company than being alone. The feeling of being all alone was too much for the long-neck to comprehend.

The thought of being all alone was enough to make Littlefoot look down sullenly.

Aylene noticed Littlefoot’s frown. As she opened her mouth to speak, she felt his side vibrate and heard a deep growl in his stomach. That’s when an idea struck her and she smiled mischievously.

The next thing Littlefoot knew, he felt five little claw-like things tickle his belly. He jolted up and yelped.

Aylene giggled at his reaction.

“Hey, what was that for?” the long-neck said, slightly irritated by the sudden shock.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Aylene snickered.

Littlefoot’s frown turned into a smile. He had to admit that it was pretty funny. Aylene’s snicker turned into a full laugh. Littlefoot laughed along with her, his spirits lifting once again.

Suddenly, Aylene let out a terrified scream. She pulled her feet out of the water so quickly they created a huge splash.

“SOMETHING’S GOT ME!”

A large green object attached to Aylene’s right foot flew off as she jerked it away. It fell onto the ground just in front of the two of them. To Aylene’s surprise, it was a small Saruolophus.

“Ow, that hurted-ed!” the swimmer moaned in a cute little-girl voice as she rubbed her head.

She opened her eyes to reveal bright blue irises.

Both Littlefoot and Aylene stared at the swimmer with stunned expressions. Aylene placed a hand on her racing heart, trying to calm it from the rather nasty shock.

“Oh, hello,” the Saruolophus said cheerfully as she saw them.

“Hi,” Littlefoot replied slowly. “Who are you?”

“My name is Ducky, yep, yep, yep!” she jumped up happily. “I am a swimmer!”

“Yeah, I gathered that,” Aylene said, rubbing her right ankle.

“I’m sorry about that,” Ducky sheepishly said. “I thought that was a strange rock or something.”

“That’s okay,” Aylene shrugged. “You just surprised me, that’s all.”

“Who are you two?” Ducky asked.

“My name’s Littlefoot,” the long-neck replied, “and this is Aylene.”

Ducky looked at Littlefoot and Aylene with an inquisitive expression.

“I know you’re a long-neck,” she said to Littlefoot before turning to Aylene, “but what are you?”

“I’m a human.” Aylene replied.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Littlefoot and Aylene, it is, it is!”

Littlefoot and Aylene smiled at the little swimmer’s cheerfully energy.

“So, do you live around here?” Littlefoot asked.

Ducky’s smile quickly faded and she shook her head sadly.

“No,” she replied, sniffling, “I am all alone, I am. I lost my family in the great earthshake.”

Littlefoot and Aylene exchanged sympathetic glances. Looks like they weren’t the only ones separated from their families.

Aylene bent down towards Ducky.

“Hey, Littlefoot and I are going to the Great Valley,” she said kindly. “Do you want to come with us?”

Ducky’s huge smile returned and she jumped right into Aylene’s arms. She laughed as the little swimmer happily hugged her and rubbed her face against her neck.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Ducky exclaimed happily. “I do, I do!”

“Well then, we better get moving.” Littlefoot said.

“Just let me get my sandals back on.” Aylene replied.

Aylene put Ducky down, dried her feet with her towel, and strapped her sandals back onto her feet. She put her towel back in her bag before strapping her quiver around her waist. Lastly, she threw her bag onto her back and grabbed her bow.

With that, the trio set out together through the forest.

The sun continued to burn down on them, only blocked by a few large branches that provided a little shade. Although plant life was pretty low, there were still a few tall trees with large roots coming up out of the ground. Small gaps of land were cracked as the sun dried the stone and mud.

“Do you think my family went to the Great Valley, too?” Ducky asked.

“Hmm, maybe,” Littlefoot said. “My mother said it’s where all the herds were going.”

“Oh, I hope, I hope, I hope.”

Aylene started to sense the moral of the group dropping again. She had to do something to bring it back up again and quickly. She cast her eyes down to the ground, searching for an answer.

Strangely, this triggered a memory of her brother. One time when she was sad, he pulled her out of her room and took her outside to play hopscotch. Now that she was looking down at the cracked rocks below, they reminded her of cracks in the cement driveway back home.

Another idea came into her head.

“Hey, let’s play a game!” she piped up.

“What kind of a game?” Ducky asked.

Aylene began to hop with one foot on separate pieces of rock, her feet alternating with each hop.

“It’s called, “Don’t Step On a Crack”,” she said. “You have to avoid the cracks in the ground, like this.”

Aylene repeated the steps as Littlefoot and Ducky joined in. Ducky began to sing a little random ditty that made the long-neck and human giggle.

“Don’t step on a crack or you’ll fall and break your back!” Aylene chanted.

Ducky laughed at the joke and the three continued to hop over the cracks.

As they approached something that appeared to be a fern tree, they stopped as their stomachs simultaneously growled. Aylene shriveled with embarrassment.

“Oh, gosh,” she mumbled. “That was weird”

Littlefoot looked up at the low branches of the fern tree. He gave a pensive look as he examined the vegetation.

“I wonder what this tastes like?”

Littlefoot clamped down on the branch and pulled.

At that moment, there was a sudden screech.

“The tree is talking!” Ducky gasped.

“No, it isn’t!” Littlefoot mumbled as he continued to pull on the branch.

“You should not eat talking trees, nope, nope, nope!” the swimmer warned.

Littlefoot tugged harder and something dark fell out of the tree, shrieking. It slid down the vine right into Littlefoot’s face. The long-neck screamed, releasing hold of the vine and it snapped back, throwing the little thing away.

Ducky also screamed and ran under Littlefoot, clutching his foreleg. The thing that fell from the tree continued to cry out until it hit the ground, breaking through one of the rocks.

Aylene stared for a second. She then carefully ran over to the spot, knelt down and looked inside hole. She saw a small, brown Pteranodon with rather big eyes staring up at her.

When he saw Aylene, he cowered away and shivered.

“Don’t be afraid, we won’t hurt you,” she said gently. “What’s your name?”

“M-M-My name Petrie,” he stuttered.

From outside, Ducky giggled as she and Littlefoot gathered around the hole.

When he was sure he wasn’t in danger, Petrie hopped out and looked around at the three strangers.

“Petrie, huh?” Ducky said. “Funny name!”

“I-I-I flied?!” Petrie eagerly asked.

“No,” Ducky shook her head, “you falled.”

“I fall!?” the little flyer wailed, dropping to the ground in despair and whimpering in shame.

“You cannot fly?” Ducky asked. “But how did you get way up there?”

“I climb!” Petrie flapped his wings like a mime showing a climbing method.

“But you are a flyer,” Littlefoot pointed out, “not a faller.”

“Hard thing to fly.” Petrie said.

Instantly determined, the little Pteranodon tried to leap off the ground. However, Aylene noticed his panic as he flapped his wings and slowly fell back to the ground.

“I guess it is.” Littlefoot chuckled. “We can’t do it.”

“Nope, we cannot do that alright,” Ducky followed up, giving another laugh.

Aylene smiled at Petrie, “Hey, we’re on our way to the Great Valley, do you want to come with us?”

Petrie looked up at the human, and all Aylene needed was a small nod. She gently picked Petrie up and let him perch on her shoulder.

“I’m Aylene, by the way,” she said. “And these are my friends: Littlefoot and Ducky.”

The group continued walking with Aylene and Petrie lingering behind just a little bit. Making sure the other two wouldn’t hear; Aylene confronted Petrie about what she caught during his little demonstration.

“Petrie, you’re afraid of flying, aren’t you?”

“What?!” Petrie yelped, “No! Me flyer! Me meant to fly! Me just…don’t like high places.”

Petrie looked away, ashamed.

“That’s okay,” Aylene gently replied. “I’m afraid of heights, too. But maybe we could help each other.”

“How?” Petrie asked.

“Let’s just say that I think we’ll have to overcome our fears before all is said and done.”

“Aylene, Petrie, you guys alright?” Littlefoot called.

Aylene ran to catch up with the Apatosaurus.

“Don’t worry, Littlefoot. We’re fine.”

As the group continued walking toward the west, Aylene looked back down the path they had taken.

She couldn’t help but wonder what was happening to Cera right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This motley crew just keeps getting bigger and bigger.


End file.
